iCave
by LizzehBoo
Summary: Carly, Sam, and Freddie are trapped outside their element when they end up lost in the woods! And things only go downhill from there. Based off the artwork by beyondheroism at LJ. Seddie slant and slight Cam. A little Spocko too.
1. Chapter 1

**iCave**

**for _beyondheroism**

**Merry Christmas! 3**

When Spencer had loudly exclaimed that we were cutting the last few days of school before Christmas vacation and were rushing off to a desolate place outside Seattle to enjoy multiple days of winter fun in Socko's camper, needless to say, we were all pretty excited. Carly, because she looked forward to getting a break from school and to enjoy that she was camping without having to find roots and berries (I was pretty happy about that, too), and Sam, because she could enjoy all of the Shay family's free food and stuff while on the road, and me? Well, getting a few days from my mother was always a welcome motivation to leave.

Still, it made me nervous. Spending multiple days under the guidance of Spencer and his dubiously friendly buddy, Socko? It wasn't exactly the best supervision in the world. Yes, I trusted Spencer with my life (at least when not in immediate danger), but I hadn't a clue what Socko was actually like, and I was very aware of what Socko's definition of _cool_ was. But I went along with it. I was going with my two best friends. How could I say no?

I should have probably learned from my mother, because it took about five hours of convincing before she finally let me go. I did a little dance of happiness, alone in my room as I packed, knowing I could finally watch the nature channel unsupervised. Socko said he had a television in the RV afterall. I think Carly, Sam, and I all practically floated down the elevator with our bags, perfectly pleased to be getting away from it all. I had more bags than both women, however. My mother had packed two extra bags of _just-in-cases_. I think I had enough anti-tick spray to last a lifetime, and I was certain I would be throwing it away at the first truck stop.

When we reached the parking lot, we stared in awe. Not good awe either.

When Socko had said _camper_ and _RV_, we had expected a much nicer vehicle. But, then again, it _was_ Socko we were talking about, who was currently at the steering wheel of a rickety truck, dragging an off-white, ugly trailer behind it. Three heads (including mine) whipped to Spencer, who made a face of innocence and awkwardness.

"Wh-what? It's... nice."

Spencer was met with grumbles and mumbles.

"Aw, c'mon, guys! Would you rather be at school?"

I was about to say yes and go back inside when Sam grabbed both Carly and my arm and dragged us into the camper, making it fairly obvious that we would be going, whether we wanted to or not.

The inside wasn't much better. I clutched my backpack close to me, hoping that the technology of my laptop would seep into my veins and make me happier. Because the televisions had _dials_ on them. _**DIALS.**_ And the lights were flickering, and... oh, God... there was one or two bugs on the wall already! I looked at Carly, who appeared equally horrified as I was, then to Sam, who took a bite of a meatstick, looking rather calm.

"This is disgusting," I stated.

Sam shrugged. "Feels like home."

Spencer and Socko poked their heads in the door.

"Well, whatcha think?" Socko asked, looking very proud.

I didn't have the heart to say anything.

"Coolio. Where's my room?" Sam stated.

"Ohh..." Socko looked over his small, square-shaped glasses. "There's three of you?"

We all exchanged looks then. "Um, yeah." I said. "What gave you the idea there was less?"

"Oh, well, Spence said Carly and her friends could come."

"That would be more than two."

Socko gazed off into nowhere for a minute. "Oh..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. You guys'll sleep right through there." He pointed to a small, slide-out door.

I made a face. "Wait, I have to share with the girls? Why can't I share with you and Spencer?"

Socko's eyebrows raised. "You just can't."

"...Oookay..."

We dragged our bags into our room, staring at the king size bed like we were looking at a hotel bed. What exactly had gone on there, we would never know. All we knew was that we were in for a long journey away from the Bushwell Apartments. And Socko and Spencer were manning the truck. Socko - who didn't think _friends_ was plural, and Spencer – who couldn't keep a goldfish alive for more than a week.

I was definitely starting to think I made a mistake.

"Wow, this bed looks like my mom's," Sam said, crawling up the stained, ugly, floral comforter and making herself comfortable in the middle of the bed. "So who gets the floor?"

Carly and I looked at the sliver of floor between the bed and the door.

"There is no floor," I said flatly.

"Eh, you're skinny," Sam said, waving her hand in the air to show her apathy.

I glared at her. "I am _not_ sleeping on this nasty floor." Though I technically wasn't sure about the bed either. Still, I sat on the edge to Sam's right, and Carly sat on Sam's left.

The camper lurched forward with a shuddering jolt, and we were off.

"So," Carly sighed. "What do we do until we get there?"

"I don't know. Want to try the television?"

"Sure."

I walked over to the TV, shoved violently in the corner, with bent antenna covered in foil, and turned the dial. The television screen fizzled for a moment before one of the antenna burst into flames. I wailed, grabbing a moldy pillow to put out the fire, then quickly shut the TV off. I looked at the two girls in the room, who were sitting wide-eyed on the bed, and smiled halfway.

"Um... I didn't really feel like watching TV anyway."

Carly shook her head.

"We could have roasted weenies on that," Sam suggested, trying to be optimistic.

It was going to be a long ride.

...

"Hey guys! Guys!"

I groaned, opening my eyes halfway, only to realize I had fallen asleep, and I currently had a blonde drooling on my shoulder. Carly had snuggled up to Sam, snoozing delicately – because Carly did everything with grace, and Sam, as stated before was currently drooling on my shirt, snoring loudly with a long, lanky arm draped over my stomach.

Spencer was in the doorway, looking a little disheveled, but otherwise ecstatic, and the bottoms of his jeans were wet.

"We're here!" he said, grinning. "And there's a lake!"

Carly stirred, blinking sleep out of her eyes. "What are we going to do on a lake in the middle of winter?"

"Come on! It's awesome!"

Sam opened her eyes, looked up at me, and then promptly pushed me off the bed, allowing me to slam my head against the rinky-dink nightstand and yelp, gripping my throbbing skull.

"Ow! What?!"

"Sorry. Immediate reaction when I see you." She shrugged, kicking her feet of the bed and stepping over me without issue.

Carly examined the lump on my head, came to the conclusion that I didn't have a concussion, and followed Sam out with a sympathetic look thrown in my direction. I was the last one out of the camper.

Well, the woods were at least beautiful. Socko was sitting on a rock, attempting to get a fire started, and the sun had set, leaving the falling late-autumn leaves and pine trees in a deep amber glow. The lake sparkled underneath the light of the glowing orange orb in the sky, and it left me feeling a bit high, especially with all the clean air. Seattle had never produced such a thing.

"How long did you guys drive?" Carly asked, a little surprised at how fast the time had flew.

"Oh, Socko has a rule that if we go anywhere by car or truck, we don't stop until we get there."

I gave Spencer a look. "What if you're going across country and one of you has to... you know--"

"Whiz," Sam finished.

"Oh, I have some old styrofoam cups and--"

"Don't wanna know," we all answered simultaneously. Spencer shrugged.

"So! How about some..." He stressed _some_ as if he was waiting for a drumroll before whipping out some fishing rods, "_FISHING!_"

We all grinned. Things were starting to look up.

"Now everyone do a good job," Socko yelled from the firepit. "You're catching your dinner."

Well, it turns out that most of us really sucked at fishing. Spencer caught two small fish after his experience of pillow fishing, and Sam had caught one regular size fish, much to her hungry chagrin, and Carly had fished out the old cliched boot. I hadn't caught a thing.

"I hate fishing," I stated plainly, dropping my rod to the ground as my stomach growled and churned.

Sam was currently poking a stick through her fish, getting it ready to cook. "Fishing hates you too. Oh, and me. I hate you."

I sneered at her then looked to Carly for help. "What do we eat?"

Carly frowned. "I don't know. Want to dig around in the camper?"

We took a look at the ugly old thing, shuddered, and decided we'd rather go hungry than eat anything Socko had stored – especially anything in styrofoam cups.

"Sam, do you have any snacks?" Carly asked.

Sam laughed. "Do I have any snacks? Really, Carls?" A pause. "Of course I do. It's pretty much all I brought." She held her fish over the fire and gestured with her head to the camper. "Have at some, Carls. But don't touch my fatcakes. Those are for momma."

Carly's and my dinner consisted of gummy bunnies and beef jerky that night. Which was actually kind of cool considering my mom would have had a conniption. Socko's messy hair was pulled back away from his face as he munched on his own fish. When he had caught it, I hadn't a clue. I was just starting to think Socko had magical powers or something, and I was wishing that he had used said powers to get Carly and me a fish too.

Sam ate hers in its entirety – bones and all, and was lying halfway on a log by the fire pit, patting her stomach happily. I could see the envy in Carly's eyes as she munched on a gummy bunny. Carly wasn't very well adapted to having candy for dinner. Pie for breakfast, yes. Candy for dinner, not so much. Sam grinned at Carly.

"So Carls, whatcha want to do before bed?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"Ohhh, I don't know. When are you going to sleep, Freddork?"

Terror struck me. "I... don't know. Why?"

Sam and Carly looked particularly mischievous.

"Nooo reason," they chimed, drawling into giggles.

I was very uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, we retired for the evening, though the three of us weren't as tired as we were bored. We played cards for a bit, then watched a movie on my laptop, but all together, weren't much more entertained. Besides, my laptop was quickly dying, and I was afraid to plug it into the outlet that had set the television on fire earlier. So we all kicked back on the bed for a good old-fashioned chat.

Midnight came and went, and we were left lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling, me in the middle of the bed, feeling a little cool with two girls lying next to me, waiting for sleep that wasn't coming.

"Well, this kind of sucks," Sam said.

"Yeah, it does. You shouldn't have dragged us into this stupid camper."

"Please don't fight guys," Carly said slowly, her voice laced with tiredness. "There's not enough room in here for you guys to fight."

There was a long moment of silence before Sam sat up suddenly, her eyes bright with an idea that could only be malicious.

"...What is it?" Carly asked, mimicking her friend and sitting up as well.

I figured since they were, I might as well.

"I have an idea. What do you say we get out of here?"

"Out of here? How? And go where?"

"I bed there's a town nearby. We can go bowling or out to eat or something! And all we have to do is unlatch the truck, drive it there and get it back before Spencer and Socko wake up."

"Yeah? And who's gonna drive?"

"Well, you have your permit, don't you?"

I paled. "Whoa, whoa... you're not suggesting... no! No, I will _not_."

"Oh, come _on_, Fredward! Don't be such a buzzkill!"

"I have my _permit_, Sam. I have to have an adult in the car with me when-"

"_BLAH BLAH__** BLAAAAAAAH**_." She nearly spat on me. "Fredhead, seriously."

I squirmed. Bowling did sound more fun than what we were doing. "Uhhh... what do you think, Carly?" I whirled on her so fast she nearly fell backwards.

"Well..." she floundered, her lips twisting in confusion. "Um..."

Doing bad things was not something Carly was good at, but Sam was goading her on. "Come on, Carly. Think bowling, think pizza."

She perked at the sound of pizza.

"Well... only if Freddie is _comfortable_-"

"Awesome! Come on, Fredward. Help me unlatch the trailer. Carly, get the keys. We're going into town."

"Wait, Sam! I didn't say I was comfortable-"

"Well, Carly and I could just wait till you fell asleep and paint your nails and stuff and take pictures for iCarly."

A pause. "Let's go," I said. It was better than the alternative at least.

Well, at the time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"You know, you're a lot more useful now that you've hit puberty," Sam said as I held the trailer hitch and she lowered the bar to the ground.

I grimaced, the weight straining on my arms. "Uh huh." I was still very unsure about what we were doing.

"Okay, let go."

I released it with much relief, flexing my reddened fingers. Carly stepped out of the motor vehicle, closing the door very slowly to prevent any noise, then tiptoed towards us, her face bright white in the moonlight.

"Carls." Sam sighed. "Chill out."

"What? I'm chill. I'm cool," Carly feigned casualty, but when she put her hand on her hip, it was clear that she was trembling.

I always found it a little disturbing how bothered Carly would get when doing something bad. I patted her calmly on the shoulder.

"Carly, it's okay. We don't have to-"

"Get caught," Sam finished, yanking the eyes from Carly and tossing them to me. I glared at her. "Start the truck, Freduardo."

I sighed, frustrated. "Fine." I honestly wasn't sure why we always listened to Sam. I suppose she was just the dominant personality. That, and, well, I think we all had a little bad side wanting to have fun once in awhile, and Sam brought that out.

Well, at least I did. I opened the driver's side door and clambered in, Sam and Carly scooting in next to me from the other side. Carly lifted a shaky styrofoam cup to her face, shuddered, then dropped it to the floorboard, while I adjusted the seat and mirrors.

I muttered to myself, "Check your mirrors and your seat, you'll see so you're not dead meat. Turn the key, turn on your lights, make sure that they are not your brights-"

"Fredward. What are you doing?" Sam asked, but it was more of a statement.

I pouted, a bit defensive. "I'm... saying the car-rhyme..."

"...Why?"

"Because it helps me remember things!"

"Yeah, and you don't get respect if your back's not erect," Carly threw in, snickering. Well, at least she was starting to calm down.

"Haha. It helps me concentrate, okay?" I started the car and put it in drive. "Okay, which way do we go?"

"Um... go right," Sam said. "Seems like a safe bet."

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Nope, but I figure we'll eventually hit a town, right?"

So we were flying by the seats of our pants. Metaphorically. I slowly pulled the truck out onto the main stretch of road, my headlights the only thing illuminating the road through the thicket of trees. Carly was watching the road with a nervous interest.

"I don't see anything."

"Chill out, Carls. We're only a couple of miles down the road. Fredward, could you please stop driving like an old woman?"

"I've only got a permit, Sam. What if there are police-"

"There's no police in a little place like this! Just go! This road's gotta be 45 miles per hour at least."

"Sam, I would rather we get there slowly and safely."

"But at this rate, we won't get anywhere in time to do anything! And this is hardly a joy ride."

"Sam, I am not- What are you doing?" Sam unlatched her seatbelt.

"Sam, don't!" Carly yelped as Sam dived between my legs. I yelped too, for a much worse reason. I never wanted her within hitting distance of my testicles. It was just not a good thing. But when she pressed her hand down on the gas, I was even more horrified.

"Sam! Sam, stop it! This isn't funny!" The speedometer began to creep up over 40, then 50, then 60. "**SAM!**"

Carly was tugging at the blonde's hips, trying to yank her out from under the steering wheel, that was currently under my white-knuckled grip. Suddenly the road was zipping by me, and I was just barely keeping control of the vehicle.

"Sam! Get out from there!" Carly finally yanked Sam free, but in a massively unfortunate event, her head knocked hard against the steering wheel, sending us into a spin that I couldn't stop.

All I could remember was the girls screaming, my white hands gripping the steering wheel, and the circulation in my arm running thin due to Sam's death grip as we sped to our doom.

…

My head was killing me. And there was a high pitched chirp irritating my headache to new heights. I groaned, opening my eyes slightly only to squint them shut due to the bright light that seemed to burn my retinas. I felt as if I was floating, and yet very heavy at the same time. I lifted a shaky hand to my brow, trying to remember what happened. The memories were still a bit hazy when the pain died down in my head enough for me to open my eyes again. I realized that I felt like I was floating because the truck was currently floating – _in a river._ And it was headed to a very large river bank.

Oh, and did I mention it was _**daylight?!**_

The air bag was puffed in my face and I pushed it until it deflated, then whirled to look at my friends. Carly was limp, hanging over her seatbelt like a rag doll, her long black hair a curtain hiding her face. One of the sleeves of her crimson shirt hung off her shoulder messily. Sam was halfway in the seat, her torso thrown over Carly's legs like a blanked, and the other half of her was in the floorboard. Trash was littered all around us. The truck shuddered as the water pushed it to the bank. Fear flooded over me as I looked my two friends over. I couldn't see any real injuries besides a few bruises and scrapes, but I had been trained by my mother to believe the worst, and I worried one of them or both of them had internal injuries.

"Guys. Guys, wake up! Guys! It's daylight!"

"Wh-what?" Carly's head was the first to move, a small bob of consciousness, followed by her delicate hands slipping up to pull the hair out of her face. "Freddie?"

She looked at me, and I read terror and devastation in her eyes. I swallowed. I wasn't sure what to do. "Freddie, what happened?!"

"I think we had a car accident. No, scratch that. I'm pretty sure we did."

"No... chiz." Sam lifted her head as if it weighed a ton, grimacing. "Owww. Holy crab, what did you do?"

"Me? You're the one that-"

"_Please_ don't argue right now," Carly groaned, clearly not wanting to hear it. "Let's just make sure everyone's okay."

The two of us nodded, knowing Carly was in the right. "Well," I said, "It looks like we've stopped, so... come on, let's get out and survey the damage."

We tumbled out of the truck, still a bit wobbly from our ordeal.

"So much for not getting caught,"Sam moaned regretfully.

"Yeah," Carly replied, her forehead wrinkling. "I imagine Socko and Spencer are up and looking for us."

I was examining the crunched up grill of the truck, frowning. "How are they going to find us without the truck? And we crashed into the river. Who _knows_ how far we went downstream while we were unconscious?"

"Ohhhh," Carly cried, running her hands down her face.

"It's okay, Carly. We just have to find where the truck skidded in, then follow the skid marks back to the road. It can't be that hard," I suggested.

Carly took a deep breath, shaking out her worry and attempting to show strength. Though she still looked fairly frazzled. Sam was oddly calm, stretching and walking to the edge of the river to wash her face.

"Well, this didn't turn out to be as fun as I expected."

"Maybe we can call for help," I said, pulling out my cell phone. For a moment of bliss, we all flipped open our phones, only to discover--

"No bars."

"Mine got crushed in the wreck."

"My battery died."

Followed by a simultaneous "**NO!**"

"This sucks!"

"Okay! Okay," Carly said. "Let's just... start... walking." She had trouble wording her sentence due to complete realization of the situation we were in.

So we did. We spent a good ten minutes walking along the riverbank in silence.

"Man..." Sam growled. "You sure screwed this up, Freddie."

"Sam, if I remember correctly, I believe you were the one that was so desperate to speed things up!"

Carly groaned, walking ahead of us, but I was in the mood for fighting, and Sam was a good person to argue with, mainly because she was a challenge, and, well, it _was_ her fault. Her fault for pushing us onto he trailer. Her fault for insisting we take the truck. Her fault for wrecking it. And she blamed me?

"So, how in the world could this be my fault?!" I pressed.

"You're a sucky driver."

"Yeah, well, not many people can drive very well with a chick between their legs pushing the gas---" I paused. That came out weird.

"You were driving like an old woman!"

"An old woman wouldn't have driven into a _**RIVER.**_"

"She could've!"

"That's not the argument!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Look, we're stuck out here, and you're too much of a _priss_ to survive out here on your own, so don't start trying to blame me!"

"You started it, Sam! You started this whole stupid thing! I don't know why Carly and I listen to you all the time. You always get us into trouble, and you never take responsibility!"

"Hey, you don't _have_ to go along with it. You know you just want to have a little fun once in awhile. I can't help that I'm not a freak like your _mom_."

"Don't talk about my mother!"

Sam went into a chorus of "Super-freak." "She's a super-freak! Super-freak! She's super freakyyy!"

"Sam," I started, my jaw tightening. "Y'know what? You think you're so great? You got us into this mess, why don't you get us out of it. Take the lead."

"Oh yeah?"

"Anything to keep you from talking to me works for me." I pushed her to the front of the line, then backed away, hanging by Carly.

"Do you guys have to fight all the time?" Carly whimpered, hiding a bit behind her hair. I blinked, worried with this reaction.

"Oh, you know how we are. We'll... we'll make up. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, physically. I'm just... a little shaken."

"Well, Carly," I started.

"Do you _blame me?!_ We were just in a car accident and Spencer and Socko don't know where we are and you and Sam are fighting and on top of all that we're _lost!_ Ohhhh!" Carly ran her hands through her hair.

Sam cooed at her friend. "Okay, Carly. It's okay. You're just..."

"I'm _**FREAKING OUT!**_" Carly wailed, her voice echoing off the surrounding area.

"Uh... uhh..." I grabbed Carly by the arms and shook her. "_Get a hold of yourself, woman!_"

Carly breathed. "Okay. Okay. I'm okay."

Fighting was forgotten, and the three of us walked alongside each other for a bit.

"We're okay," I said putting and arm around each of them. Carly rested a weary head on my shoulder. "We're gonna find our way back without a problem."

"Well, not without... any problems..." Sam murmurred.

I looked up, feeling my heart sink.

The river was forked.

"Aw, chiz."

"Which way do we go?" Carly asked.

Well, I hadn't expected that. I can be an idiot sometimes.

"Well, let's see if we can find some markings or something."

I moved away from them, concentrating on the ground, trying to see any sign to take us in the right direction. But after about an hour of searching, we all discovered that there was really nothing to clue us in.

"We have to guess."

"But what if we're wrong?"

"Then I guess we'll have to turn around and go back the other way."

"That could take _days!_"

"I don't have any better ideas."

Carly sighed. "Maybe we should just... sit tight, until someone finds us?"

"Well..." I glanced around. "We need to at least find shelter for the night. We can't just wait it out in the woods."

Sam started walking. "Well, come on then." She shoved her hands in her purple hoodie pockets, her blonde curls falling over her slumped shoulders rather dejectedly. I ran a hand up my arm, suddenly aware of how cold it would probably be getting by evening-time, and I could only hope we were better at finding shelter than we had been at trying to find civilization.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

My entire body was aching by the time the sun set, and our morale had already sunk quite a bit with the realization that an entire day had passed with no change. We were still very much lost in the woods without any communication to the rest of the world and without any food or any transportation. My stomach was already starting to protest the lack of food, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that it was a mind-over-matter thing at this point. Shelter first. Food later. The air was getting chilly, and stars were starting to shimmer over the horizon. Sam walked ahead of Carly and me and was growing more frustrated as time went by. I knew if I was hungry, she was starving. Sam Puckett didn't go without food for longer than half an hour.

"Hey, Sam? You see anything?"

"Don't you think I would've said something?" she snapped back. I couldn't blame her. She was hungry.

"Wait," Carly said, halting in her steps, and suddenly I felt very sorry for her. I didn't realize until that moment that she was actually wearing high-heeled boots. Her feet were probably killing her.

"What is it?"

Carly pointed and we followed her gaze, further into the trees, nestled away as if hiding from harm – a tiny cave. Compared to the outside chill, it looked like a warm, comfy cottage.

"Carly. I love you," I stated with a breath.

"_Freddie_," she groaned.

"...In a platonic way of course."

"Come on, guys!" Sam exclaimed, her face practically glowing with joy.

We all rushed into the cave running our hands along the rough, rocky walls, overwhelmed with happiness. It wasn't much, but it was something, and we hadn't found _anything_ in an entire day. Worries scattered randomly through my mind, however. What if the temperature dropped severely? The cave wouldn't keep us warm. We would need fire. And where were we going to get food. Carly and I couldn't even fish with fishing poles, much less anything more barbaric. We weren't dressed for the elements either – not even Sam, who was typically a bit more grungy than the rest of us. Carly was wearing heels and a faux-silk shirt with black pants. Sam was in her purple hoodie and old, faded blue jeans and sneakers, and I was only in my typical collared shirt, belted pants, and closed toe shoes. None of us were dressed for the cold, and I was worried the most about Carly. Sam could definitely handle herself. Carly? Well, especially at that moment, I wasn't so sure. At least Sam and I were dressed for a rough day in the city. Carly looked like she was going to a party.

"Woah," Carly said, the click of her heels echoing as she entered the cave behind Sam. "This place is... kind of... creepy."

"Well, it's a cave," Sam said. "It's not a cottage, but it's something."

"Sam's right," I said, then paused. "That's weird."

"So's your face, Fredula," Sam replied, getting settled near one of the walls.

"You know, I've always been curious," I said, taking my place next to Carly, who huddled up next to her best friend. "How many variations of my name have you actually come up with?"

Sam smirked. "Including all the awesome nicknames like whiz-pants?"

"Sure."

She pondered it a moment. "Well, I usually come up with them on the spot, but I have them all written down in one of my school notebooks."

"Aren't you supposed to keep science notes in that?" Carly asked.

"Have I ever paid attention?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't it a little obsessive to write down my name a million different ways during your class time?"

Sam shrugged, "Whatever you think, Freducation. Ooh, that's a good one." She grinned. "Hey, I don't have anything better to do."

Sam was never an easy person to read, but I was pretty sure she had better things to do then write my name obsessively in a notebook. It was almost like she....

I laughed.

"What's so funny?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Nothing. Just thought of something funny."

Carly and Sam exchanged looks. I frowned again.

"I'm aware I'm not funny to _other_ people."

They smiled at each other, knowing they had read my mind – well, not all of it. Then again, I was fairly sure neither of them would have found the idea of Sam having a crush on me funny at all. I thought it was. I guess I was just proving their point.

I looked out the front of the cave, the entrance looking small with the distance we had travelled in to get out of the wind. And it was still cold. I sighed.

"We need some firewood. If we can get a fire started, we'll warm up, and maybe we can get some sleep."

"Well, there are trees around. We can get some."

We all looked to the entrance of the cave again, dreading leaving our one little place of comfort; groaning at the very prospect of it. We all knew, however, that a fire would make the place much more cozy, so we dragged ourselves out in search of some wood. The dead leaves crunched around our feet, adding a swishing rhythm to our exhausted trudge through the woods. The day was starting to weigh down on us, and looking for firewood was really the last thing on our minds. I collected a few sticks, but nothing that would last long. I knew we would have to depend on leaves as our main fuel, and that wasn't much. My stomach growled as if to accentuate the situation and I patted it comfortingly. We wouldn't be eating this evening.

Sam, Carly, and I met back at the cave with the very small bit of stuff we collected – though Sam had managed to heave at least one log on her shoulder, her hair blowing wildly in the winter wind – and piled it within the cave.

"So... how do we light it?" Carly asked.

"Um..." I didn't think of that.

"Back up cheese ball," Sam said, pushing me aside and leaning over the wood, her behind in the air. "I have a lighter."

I was appalled. "Do you smoke?!"

"No," Sam said, looking me straight in the face. "I just really like power ballads."

I still haven't figured out if she was being sarcastic or not.

Well, all together it was a stroke of luck. We had fire, and we didn't have to do that rubbing-sticks-together thing. Considering the cartoons I'd watched when younger (before Mom turned them off for being over-stimulating), that never seemed to work anyway. With the flame glowing before us, casting shadows on the cave walls, we all fell back against the wall again, scooting in close to each other to absorb the warmth.

It got me thinking, oddly enough. If I was to be lost in the woods, I was definitely happy it was with my two best friends. Carly, of course, was easy to be around all the time. She was sweet, caring, a motherly type that was perfect in situations like this – even though she was prone to freaking about a bit. I was used to that from my own mother though. Sam, well... I couldn't say we exactly got along, but she kept my spirits fiery and kept us all moving. She was tough, and I knew Carly and I weren't exactly built for "roughing it" like she was. She dug in her pockets for a minute before producing one lonesome stick of beef jerky.

Carly and I stared at it like loathsome dogs. Sam's eyes darted back and forth before she sighed, bowed her head, and broke it into three pieces.

"You guys owe me." She hand us each a small piece of jerky.

"Sam, last I checked, you owe Carly and me thirty dollars each."

"Fine, fine. We're even."

I should have said nothing. I devoured the jerky as if it was my last meal. We entangled our arms and legs as if we would hold in the warmth and sat back, thinking back on the day and hoping to fall asleep.

Just as I started to doze, Carly jumped. "What was that?"

"Carly, you're being paranoi-" I started, only to silence when a small squeak caught my ear. "Wait..."

"Oh, my _God_, you two. Seriously? You two are such chumps." Sam stood up and walked further into the cave. "There is nothing--"

Another squeak. "Wait..."

"I know that sound," I said, standing as well, Carly in tow. "It sounds like..."

We all looked at each other in petrified realization. "_**BATS!!!!**_"

Sam grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the entrance of the cave. I looked at Carly who, though in heels, was right up by me, her nails digging into my other arm. I could hear the leathery flaps of their wings behind us as we dived at the entrance of the cave, hands on heads, the bats flying over us, off to hunt in the night. Carly screamed rather girlishly, sitting up and throwing her hands through her hair.

"Carly, they're gone."

Carly burst into tears and collapsed into Sam's arms. "I hate bats! I _hate_ bats!"

"They're gone, Carls. It's okay."

"I'm sorry," Carly said after a moment, wiping a tear away with the palm of her hand. "Weak moment. Weak moment."

"It's okay, Carly,"I said sympathetically.

She nodded. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's just... get some sleep."

With our adrenaline rushing, I didn't figure it would be very likely. As we returned to our spot, Carly, pushed between Sam and myself, still looking strung out and exhausted. We both kept her close to protect her. I always noticed how Sam and I did that with Carly. She was _our_ Carly. We couldn't let those nasty bats or anything hurt her. She actually managed to fall asleep after a few minutes. Sam and I didn't. We kept exchanging nervous looks with each other, worried about how Carly was going to handle being in the woods for however much longer we might be out there.

"Sam," I whispered. "Do you think she's gonna be okay?"

"Carly's tougher than she looks," Sam whispered back. "You know that."

"Yeah. But this is bad. This is bad for everyone."

Sam's lips thinned slightly, showing how uncomfortable she was with the conversation. "I know, okay? Just keep acting like you're tough and she'll follow suit. I know that's hard for you."

"Don't argue with me when we can only whisper."

"Fine." Sam huffed. "This sucks."

"I know."

We gazed into the fire, leaning on our support, Carly, and knowing she was depending on us. It was a give-and-take, that was for sure. Sleep eventually claimed me – I wasn't sure about Sam.

…

"Hey. Wake up. Come on, Freddo."

I opened my eyes, glaring at my wake-up call. "Wh-what?"

"Come on, Fredward. Let's get some breakfast. I'm hungry, and Carly won't let us leave you by yourself."

I groaned. "What time is it?"

"I don't know! The sun's up. That's enough for me. Come on." She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me out of the cave.

Carly was waiting outside, looking much more peaceful than she had after our run-in with the bats, though roughing it was starting to have its effects on all of us. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling it muss under my fingers and knowing my mother would have a cow if she saw it so out of place. Then again, she'd probably just be overjoyed to see me. I imagined she'd gotten word of our going missing by now and was on her way to ring Socko's and Spencer's necks.

Well, at least I wouldn't have to witness that.

"Okay, what are we looking for?"

"Meat!" Sam exclaimed.

I stared. "Oh? And what would we kill it with?"

Sam stared back. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's say... we find... a deer or something. What would we kill it with to get the meat?"

Sam gave half a laugh. "You don't need anything."

"Oh, please, Sam. Let's try to avoid killing innocent animals with our bare hands," Carly said.

"I don't know if we'll see a lot of animals anyway," I said. "It's pretty cold out."

"We'll find something," Carly said optimistically.

"Well, let's find something _now_! I'm starving." Sam gripped her stomach to accentuate her words.

"Okay, okay," I said. "I watched something on the Science Channel about surviving in situations like this. Even though it's cold, some bushes should still have some berries and stuff on them."

Sam immediately started digging through the bushes.

"Remember, red and sweet are good to ea-"

"We don't have time for your stupid rhymes, Fredward," Sam interrupted, filling her pockets with handfuls of berries.

I frowned. "Sam, it's important that you don't eat the wrong types of berries – some of them could be-"

Sam, to make her point completely clear, shoved the next handful of berries in her mouth and chewed them verbally in front of me. "My stomach can handle anything."

Carly, who had been collecting red berries looked horrified. "Sam! You can't eat green berries!"

I finished my rhyme with seriousness. "are good to eat, but I swear by this sonnet, green will make you vomit. They're _poisonous_, Sam!"

"Hey. I am just fine." Sam rolled her eyes. "I just told you. My stomach can handle anything."

"Sam, your stomach didn't handle Missy's rancid chocolate," Carly argued.

"That was a trap," Sam replied, as if that would explain away the fact.

I sighed. "How many berries have you gotten, Carly?"

"I've got a lot in my shirttail right now." She was holding it in front of her like a basket, holding the matching berries in the fabric.

"I've got a few in my pockets too. Sam, you need to get rid of those green berries."

Sam was still eating, ravishing the food. "I'm working on it."

I shrugged at Carly. No stopping her.

"Fine. Let's get back to the cave. It looks like rain."

Carly and I piled our red berries in a corner of the cave as Sam munched on her green ones. I figured it wasn't too threatening – she seemed to be just fine.

Thunder began to roll across the sky. I could feel my nerves starting to strain as I attempted to light another fire. We didn't have much, and we hadn't seen any sign of help coming our way. I had a bad feeling within me, and I knew from experience that those bad feelings weren't to be taken lightly. Carly was eating a few red berries next to Sam, and as I watched them, I was starting to see a distinct change in Sam's features.

As the first bits of rain began to rocket to the ground, I just knew that things were about to get worse.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"I can't believe you panicked just because you had a tick on your arm," Carly said, humored.

I was embarrassed. "Well, give me a break. My mom's been covering me in anti-tick lotion and bathing me in anti-tick baths all my life. You would expect me to think the worst."

"It didn't even bite you," Carly replied. "Your blood's probably poison to them now. But you can't get Lyme Disease from one crawling on you."

I blushed. "Well, I... just didn't know."

Night was falling and the storm had not let up a bit. We had to move further back in the cave to prevent getting soaked from the incoming rainfall. It still trickled in small streams nearby. Carly and I attempted to pass the time by talking casually, but Sam had grown deadly quiet, staring blankly at the opposite cave wall, her arms folded over her stomach, a slight shudder to her sitting form. I trailed off of my sentence with Carly as I finally noticed this.

"Sam?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

She ignored me, just standing up and walking toward the entrance of the cave. Carly and I looked to each other for a moment before deciding simultaneously to rush after her. Sam leaned shakily against the small entrance, her pale fingers catching the wall weakly.

"Sam?" Carly repeated my words. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, trying to wave us away.

Of course, when she leaned over and lost her breakfast from that morning, Carly and I were very much aware that she wasn't. Her head hung just barely in the rain, the ratty blonde curls hiding her face.

"Sam!" Carly yelped protectively, reaching out to her friend and pulling her back in the cave.

Sam was almost like a rag-doll, falling against her friend, her cheek pressed against her shoulder. "Ohhhh," she moaned. "Momma shouldn't eat those berries."

I fought the urge to say _I-told-you-so_, because I knew Carly would be infuriated. Besides, Sam's face was a ghostly shade of white, and I was more worried about her than proving my point. Sam pushed away from Carly a bit to show she was fine, only to fail when her knees buckled and she came tumbling down on top of her.

"Ugh," she grunted. "My stomach hurts."

"Come on, Sam. Let's get you some rest, okay?" Carly's voice was a bit higher than normal as she looked to me for assistance. "Help me get her back inside."

We pulled Sam in together, and I could already tell the stark difference between how she was before and how she was now. We dragged her over by the fire and Carly pulled her in close, gripping one of her hands as Sam almost drunkenly let her cheek rest on Carly's shoulder. I looked at the dying fire, feeling fear gripping my gut. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. I had known in the back of my head that Sam was going to get sick from those berries, but to actually see her for the most part out of commission was terrifying. I wasn't sure if Carly and I would be okay without Sam. She may have been a bit of a she-devil, but she was the one that kept the energy between all of us, and the one that kept us distracted. Now, with her withering before us, Carly and I had to see our toughest go down... and know that we could very well be next.

So Sam stepped down, and that meant...

I had to step up.

Yes, terrifying indeed.

I wasn't the gun-ho, bravery type, like Sam. Of course, I was a bit more easy-going when it came to getting in a little bit of trouble than Carly was. I always figured a little trouble was good once in awhile for teaching lessons that a person wouldn't get from a book. But I also knew that if it weren't for Sam, I would probably be avoiding trouble at all costs, just like Carly.

"Freddie," Carly said, her voice shrill. "We need more firewood! Sam's really sick!"

"Blaaah," Sam added, "Not... that sick."

As if I needed to be told. I took a deep breath, knowing what I had to do.

"Okay... okay." I pulled off my button down and handed it to Carly. "Keep her warm until I get back." Going out in the cold rain in an undershirt? Yeah, my mom would be livid. But I was a man. I had to do what was necessary.

"Freddie," Carly started.

I raised my hand, feeling rather heroic. "I'm going."

And I walked out of the cave, only _feeling_ like a scared little boy in a man's body. The rain hit me like ice piercing into my skin. I flinched, but I kept walking, knowing that a lot of the wood I would find would be too wet to burn right away anyway. The sooner I got it, the sooner I could get back, get the wood to dry out, and then subsequently warm up by the fire.

It's actually quite amazing how much more quickly one moves when being pelted by freezing rain.

I dug around rabidly, pulling out sticks and leaves that we could use to keep us warm. I couldn't get the image out of my mind of Sam collapsing into Carly's arms, the blonde that could pick me up suddenly unable to stand on her own two feet. I could handle a little cold rain if it was to help my girls. This was my chance to prove myself. Sam wasn't the only one that could be protective and strong.

Not that my eyes didn't tear up a bit as I fought to get things together when they were all falling apart.

c

"Freddie!" Carly yelped. "You're soaked!"

"Tends to happen when running around in rain," I replied, dropping the equally wet sticks to the ground and falling back against the wall.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded, feeling too exhausted and stressed to really talk, even to Carly. The fire from earlier was already down to cinders, and Sam was shivering in my button-down shirt. I threw some of the sticks on the fire in hopes they'd burn, then crossed my arms across my chest, trying to hold in the very small bit of heat I had left. And Sam was shivering without being soaking wet. She had to have fever.

"Oh, Freddie," Carly said softly. "I'm so sorry you had to do that..."

"It's okay, Carly," I replied, my eyebrows arching in sympathy – I didn't want her to feel guilty for my choices. "I knew we needed to keep Sam comfortable."

Sam was currently lying on the floor with her head in Carly's lap, my button-down shirt draped over her, a red flush over her cheeks. It saddened me to think that Sam probably preferred to be with Carly when she was sick than any of her family. The fire started to gain some ferocity, much to my relief and I could feel the warmth making its way into me. Carly squirmed a little, looking a little lost at what to do next.

"You okay?"

Carly shook her head. "Not really. I'm worried about Sam."

"Hey, she's gonna be fine. She's tough."

I felt like I was repeating Sam's words about Carly from the night before.

As if to disprove my point, Sam groaned, stirring from her uncomfortable rest. "I'm gonna hurl."

Carly gave a sort of _eep_, trying to help the girl up to get her to the front of the cave. I stood and grabbed Sam by the arm, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Come on, Sam."

Sam looked at me blearily, her eyes sparking with fever. "You're all wet."

I gave her half a smile. "Yes, I am. Come on, now."

Carly fluttering behind us like a nervous bird, I escorted Sam to the front of the cave, and pulled her hair away from her face as she lost her stomach contents once again. Carly comfortingly rubbed the girl's back, and she finally pulled back, her lips quivering and her eyes watering. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain as her arms enveloped over the offending place, her stomach.

"This sucks royal chiz," Sam sputtered before doubling over in pain again.

Again, it was her fault, but I was more concerned than triumphant. It was one of the worst victories I'd ever experienced.

"Ugh, Fredward, tell me..." Sam choked. "These berries were poisonous right? Why does it... hurt so much?"

I frowned. "I don't know, Sam. Sorry."

"I'm so tired," she cried, her entire form drooping into my grip again.

And I knew she was, because I was certain she would never go falling into my arms if she was healthy – even if she did have my name written all those times in her notebook. I looked over her to Carly, who, though she was trying to be comforting, was clearly tense. I looked down at the blonde currently in my arms and stared. Sam was completely vulnerable.

I was amazed how very unhappy it actually made me.

"Come on, let's lay her down."

Carly and I dragged Sam back over by the fire, and then the overwhelming dread set in.

"We have to get away from here," Carly verbalized my thoughts, eyes wet with worry. "Sam's really sick, Freddie. She could..."

Die. I knew Carly couldn't say it. I couldn't say it. I could definitely think it in the dark corners of my mind that sent goosebumps down my arms and chills up my spine. I looked at the blonde, trembling on the rocky floor of the cave, and I felt my eyes burn against my will.

"Oh, God," I whispered. This was so bad. This was just so, so bad.

"Freddie?" Carly asked, looking to me for help, words, anything.

I nodded. "We need to do something. She's not gonna make it out here on her own like this."

Carly was devastated. I knew she expected me to tell her Sam was tough again and that she was going to be fine, but I just couldn't bring myself to believe that with the current situation. She needed a doctor and medicine and a bed with blankets and chicken noodle soup and all of those things!

For the first time in her life, her friends couldn't take care of her through everything.

I was ashamed.

"The rain is too heavy to move now, though. We'll have to wait until it dies down to move."

I could still feel my t-shirt sticking to me, just now starting to dry. Oddly enough, I was too bothered with my girls to feel the cold seeping through to my skin, the sopping hair in my face, and the all-together wet-dog look that probably had Carly so panicky. I tightened my jaw, knowing that I had to keep myself together – for Carly's sake. Without Sam being the strong one, it was my turn.

Sam groaned. "I'm cold..."

"I know, Sam," I said. "But you've got fever. We can't get you too warm. You'll feel worse."

I looked up at the sound of something being ripped to see Carly had ripped some fabric off of her skirt, a sliver of her pale legs obvious in the moonlight trickling from the entrance of the cave.

"Carly, what are you-"

"I'm gonna put this in the rain water. We can cool her down."

I nodded as Carly's heels clicked away from me, leaving me alone with Sam. I figured Carly could use a moment alone anyway. She was more overwhelmed than she wanted to let on. Then again, I was doing the same thing. Lying to each others faces – yep, that's friends for you.

"Is... Carly okay?" Sam asked, her voice strained as she managed to push herself off the floor with shaking arms.

"Sam, you need to lie down!" I exclaimed, crawling over to her.

"She's scared," Sam said softly, slumping in her spot. "I don't... want her to be scared. So... I need... to be okay..."

"Sam, don't be ridiculous! You're sick! You can't just fight it with... sheer power of will."

"I've conquered... more... with... that." Sam sucked air through her teeth, gripping her stomach.

She handed me my shirt. "Here."

"Sam, you keep it-"

"Take your stupid shirt," Sam choked out, wavering in her spot.

I put it on. I didn't know if Sam was able to beat me up in this state or not, but really, why take the chance?

"Sam, Carly's fine." I paused, trying to sort my words carefully. "...Yeah, she's scared. We all are. But... she'll feel better if she knows you're resting."

"I can't sleep," Sam whimpered, her tough resolve starting to crumble.

I sighed. "Come here."I reached out for her.

She was alarmed for a moment, and I was reminded of my head knocking against the bedside table what seemed like forever ago. Still, I offered nonetheless.

She deliriously tumbled forward into me, crushed into my chest. I tangled a hand in her hair, hoping she was alright, and that she'd actually intentionally collapsed on me.

"I need... to tell you something," she said, then moaned in pain.

My eyes widened. Why was she talking like she was going to die?

"This is... not the time to be sharing secrets, Puckett," I said, a crack destroying my tough-guy voice. What am I kidding? I don't have a tough-guy voice.

"No, whizpants... listen to me."

I felt panic rising in my chest, roaring in my ears like the thunder outside. Sam couldn't die. Sam survived all kinds of things. Sam could get hit by a truck and stand up and punch out the careless driver without a thought. Or she'd knock him out with a carton of milk. That was always an entertaining idea.

"I'm... sorry," Sam said in a puff of breath. I stiffened.

"Sorry? Sam, you don't need to-"

"I screwed everything up... I made it all worse. Just to... fight you."

I stroked her hair absently, confused. "Just to fight me? What are you talking about?"

"I'm always doing that. You know?"

"Well... you can be..." What was the proper word? "Stubborn... sometimes." Well, more like all of the time.

"Well, it got me... back, this time. And now... Carly's scared... and you're all wet... and... I'm... useless."

"Sam, you're not useless."

"I... get it all the time, you know. You and Carly... you guys make me feel useful... and funny... and good-looking...."

Okay, she was clearly delirious.

"What?"

"You guys are... the only ones... who treat me good. And I treat you... like crap."

Couldn't argue with that.

"And I'm sorry."

I couldn't help but be reminded of her sitting on the windowsill of our fire escape, the wind catching her curls just slightly. She had apologized then, too, but we had agreed that she'd continue to prank me – just for normalcy. And then we had kissed.

"This is just how we work, Sam. It's okay for you to fight me. I don't mind."

The heat radiating off of Sam's form was daunting. I held her protectively, fighting with myself between keeping her quiet and wanting to know more.

"I don't... hate you... you know," she said before wailing in pain.

"Sam!" I jumped. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"Where... do you... think?!" The pain seemed to die down.

Carly came rushing back in.

"What happened?!"

Was she accusing me of something? "I... uh... nothing!" I felt a blush creep up my cheeks before eying Sam. "It was just a bad pain. I think her fever's getting worse."

Carly held the soaking piece of fabric in her hand, her face falling. "Oh..."

She placed the ripped skirt fabric on the girl's forehead, Sam falling slack in my arms. I looked at Carly for a moment, eyeliner and makeup cried away, leaving her pale and exhausted looking. Her dark hair stuck out at odd angles and her clothing, of course, was ripped. I frowned.

"Carly, we're gonna be okay."

"Stop saying that, Freddie," she said, her voice low and tired. "I just... I can't believe that right now."

I put an arm around her, keeping my other safely on Sam. "Carly, you've got to trust me, okay?"

"I just..." She shook her head. "I thought I would be better with things like this."

"You don't have to be perfect at everything."

"Yes, I do!"

"_Carly_," I stressed. "Sam and I love you. All of you. Your perfections and your flaws."

I looked down at Sam, pressed into my chest, and though she feigned the sleep that wouldn't claim her, I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew my words, and for once, she agreed with them.

Carly draped her head on my shoulder, and I stared at the dying fire. Thunder rolled across the sky, giving more to the sense of doom upon us. We weren't out of the storm yet.

"Carly, don't worry. I've... I've got this."

Even I didn't believe me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

I was not aware of when I fell asleep, but Sam's groaning brought me back to reality. I touched my fingers to her temple, feeling it burn against my skin, and I knew we had to get moving. She couldn't sustain a fever that high for much longer. I ran my fingers up her back, signaling to her that I was awake.

She coughed lightly against my chest. "Freddie, I'm so thirsty," she whispered.

Well, she was calling me Freddie. That was a bad sign.

Carly stirred on my shoulder, mumbling softly to herself as she pulled herself from her slumber. "What's wrong?"

"She's thirsty. Hang on." I slipped an arm under Sam's legs, another behind her shoulders, and lifted her, cradling her in my arms. "Carly, we need to boil some water so it's clean, so we need to find something to put it in that won't burn."

"Like what?" Carly asked, looking hopeless.

"A bowl-shaped rock would work. Dig around the cave. I'm sure we'll find something."

I placed Sam softly on the floor of the cave, her fingers still scratching slightly at my form, wanting the warmth.

"Sorry, Sam. Carly and I are gonna get you some water, okay?"

"Okaaay," she whined, before offering a dry cough as well.

Carly and I spent almost half an hour trying to find a good rock. Luckily, Carly stumbled upon one, along with a girlish squeal of joy to say she'd done it. It was a very shallow bowl, but it was something. After spending a good twenty minutes trying to fill it with water and carry it back to the cave with enough balance so not to spill it, we finally had it bubbling over a fire.

"That should be enough. Set it aside so it can cool," I said, and Carly placed it on the Cave floor, turning to Sam.

"Hey," she said softly. "We got you some water."

She lifted the limp form and helped her over to the bowl, where Sam drank her fill before falling right back into the crook of Carly's neck. I frowned. One drink wasn't going to supply her with the lack of fluids her body had. She was dehydrated. I looked at Carly.

"You want to get more for us?"

She shook her head. "No. I want to get out of here."

Couldn't argue with that.

"Sam, we're getting out of here now."

It felt weird, running everything by Sam before we did something, but she wasn't healthy enough to comprehend what exactly was going on around her. So when we moved, we had to make her aware of it. I took her in my arms again and lifted her up, thanking God for puberty that allowed me to carry her in times like this. Though, if I was still a weak little boy, I would have never lifted that trailer hitch that got us into this mess.

I couldn't believe I was blaming myself, but I was. With Sam lying sick in my arms, it was hard to blame her, and I never really blamed Carly for anything. So the only person left was me. So I took the blame. And I would if asked too. Not that anyone would believe me.

Carly walked ahead of me as we left our little cave, our one little solace from the woods. We had a long way to go.

"Which way do we go?" I asked Carly.

"Um..." She sighed. "I guess whichever way we go, the river will lead us somewhere."

Every time Carly looked at Sam, she looked a little sick herself. I swallowed. The unknown was frightening. What if we got stuck further in the wilderness with Sam sick? What if it rained again? We couldn't afford to get her wet. We couldn't really afford for any of us to get soaked to the bone again. I was already feeling a little sniffly, and I knew that if... when we could get out of the woods, I would go home and curl up in my bed and stay there for a century. And Carly was looking worse as time went by, mainly from stress and exhaustion. Sam curled in my arms slightly, gripping at my shirt.

"I don't feel good," she whimpered, her voice very small.

"I know you don't. We're gonna get you some help soon."

That was a lie. Or at least, it had a very good chance of being a lie. I couldn't define _soon_ at the moment.

Traveling in the woods after rainfall was an entirely different experience than traveling beforehand. The ground was soggy and sunk beneath our feet. Poor Carly wobbled with almost every step, and I could tell as she walked that even though her face was hidden from my view, she had silent tears running down her cheeks. She was overwhelmed, I was sure. I definitely was, but I swallowed it, figuring I'd take the stress, roll it into a ball and eventually turn it into a tumor in my elder years.

Carly and I followed the riverbank in silence for quite some time. I left Carly to be alone with her thoughts, because voicing my concerns for Sam weren't going to make her feel better. The trees were heavy cover from the daytime sun, keeping it chilly, and my thin shirts weren't keeping the wind out. Carly hugged her arms to herself, her messy black hair swishing behind her. I thought for a moment on the root and berry retreat we'd gone on which seemed like ages ago, and how if Sam hadn't fluked out on the grade, may have thought twice before ingesting a bushel of green berries. If only we had learned how to counteract the effects – but alas, Mr. Henning seemed to find the warning of not to eat the berries enough. Not that I could blame him. Most students weren't stupid – or stubborn – enough to shove them down their throats after discovering they were poisonous. I shifted Sam over onto my back, piggy-backing her for an easier walk.

After about two hours of walking, Carly's heel broke. She fell forward and crashed to the ground. I rushed over to her.

"Carly! Are you okay?"

Carly stood up again shakily, covered in mud, before whirling on me with fiery eyes.

"_NO!_ How on earth do you think I'd be okay?! We are _stuck_ out here, and we have _no clue_ what we're doing, and Sam is sick and probably dying, and... and..." Carly sobbed. "I just want to go _hom**e**_! I want to see Spencer. I want to sit on the couch and watch TV. I want to goof off in the iCarly studio. I... I don't want to be here anymore!"

Carly pressed her face into my chest, sobbing. I stood there and let her cry. I couldn't really do anything else. My arms were currently holding Sam. Feeling her tears bleed onto my shirt, I couldn't help but want to cry too, but I stiffened my jaw and held strong. Carly calmed after a minute, sniffling.

"I can't walk now. Ohh..."

"Hang on," I said, bowing down, keeping a steady hold on Sam with one arm and lifting Carly's foot with the other. I swiftly broke of the other heel. "It's not perfect, but your feet will feel better."

Carly nodded, still forlorn. "I really liked those boots."

I laughed sympathetically. "Carly, if we make it out of this, I will personally buy you a new pair of boots." Then, to Sam, I added, "And I'll even take you bowling."

Carly's face lit up a bit, and she walked with a little more pep, given a bit of a limp. It felt good to know I had helped her feel better. But the elements were against us, and it was getting colder.

And Sam was getting steadily warmer, her flushed face against my neck. I didn't have the heart to say anything to Carly.

"Freddie," Sam whispered, her voice a raspy croak in my ear. "I'm... really dizzy."

"Lay your head on my shoulder, Sam. Just rest."

She gave a squeak of pain and I felt her tense. I squeezed her legs, offering my support, and she lay on my shoulder, eyes glazed over.

"Be honest," she said, her voice barely audible. "Do you think... I'll die?"

I felt a chill run down my back. "...No, Sam. I don't."

"You don't?"

"You're way too tough to let berries take you down, right?"

There was a twinge of fear in her voice. "I... don't know..."

"I do."

"Hey..." she coughed after a long few minutes. "Were you serious?... About the bowling?"

I smiled. "I sure was. I'll take you bowling, and I'll even buy you pizza and a Peppi cola."

I felt her face twist into an exhausted grin against my shoulder. "You know what... Freddo?"

"What?"

"You're... p-pretty awesome..."

Her nails dug into my shoulders as a wave of pain washed over her.

"Ohh... that hurts to say."

She buried her face into my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting. It felt oddly comforting to know she trusted me. This time I wasn't returning the favor privately either, not like I did when Missy was pushing her out of the picture. It brought a smirk to my face to imagine her vomiting off the side of a ship, only to bring reality crashing back down to realize that Sam was too dehydrated to even puke, which was probably why her stomach was cramping so badly.

c

Night was falling upon us fast, and my stomach was making noises I'd never heard before. I could feel hunger burning deep within me, and thirst making my throat sticky, but I refused to stop moving. Carly and I had both almost silently decided that the next meal we'd have would be in civilization. We would not stop moving until we go there.

It was motivation, I suppose.

Sam had grown deathly quiet as the sun began to set. Her fever was starting to climb again, as was normal with fevers at night, and I could only hold her firmly in place and hope she'd be okay. My arms ached under the weight being held all day, but I wasn't about to complain. At least I could walk. At least I was okay.

"How're you doing, back there, Sam?"

She grumbled a response before burying her head back in my shirt.

"How is she?" Carly asked, finally slowing her pace enough for me to catch up.

I shrugged. Carly frowned deeply, and a small wrinkle of worry appeared on her forehead.

"Have you seen anything?" I asked, which was really quite stupid, because I would have known as well.

Carly shook her head anyway. "No. Just trees and dirt and water, just like it has been." She sighed. "What if we're going around in circles?"

"We can't go in circles if we're only going one direction."

"What if we got disoriented?"

It was a dumb question by any means, but I shook my head, determined not to show any validation of that fear. It wasn't horribly likely anyway.

"...Let's just... keep walking," I said.

As the crickets began to chirp around us, a disturbing, broken melody, fatigue began to set heavily on us. Carly's limp was growing more pronounced, and she was falling a bit behind me. Sam was feeling heavier and heavier, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But we had more ground to cover, so no one complained.

My feet were stinging, and I knew that I had rubbed blisters on them after walking in wet socks, and I was certain I was probably leaving blood stains in my shoes. Things were looking more grim by the second. Sam would occasionally wince in pain, the only real movement to let me know she was still alive. My throat was scratchy and my eyelids were heavy, and the air had a cold bite to it at night that it didn't before. The mud was thick around our feet, slowing us down even more. Our resolve was deteriorating.

"Come on, Carly. Keep moving. We'll find something eventually." I wasn't sure if I was encouraging her or myself by this point.

"Freddie... I... can't keep going. My ankle is swelling and... I'm so tired and hungry... and..." She stumbled into me, her dark hair falling messily in her face. "No.. no. Gotta keep going. For Sam."

I was pretty sure Carly and Sam would do anything for each other by this point. Sam wanted so badly to feign health to help Carly not to be afraid. Now Carly was doing the same thing. And I had been feigning bravery. We were all a bunch of liars. A bunch of stupid, loving, best friend liars. The worst part was, even though we continued to play our parts, we all knew that we were lying to each other.

I heard a rumble of thunder in the distance and cringed. As if things couldn't get worse.

Sam groaned, her eyes fluttering open, her eyelashes tickling my neck. "Are we there yet?"

"Nope," Carly and I answered in unison, our voices low and lacking with emotion.

I was coming to the conclusion that we could very well die out in the woods. Panic rushed through my veins. They'd never find us. We would decompose and be missing persons forever. My mother would cry herself to sleep every night and die of a broken heart. Spencer would never sculpt again! Not without Carly to inspire him. And Lewbert would throw a frickin' party.

Oh, that was worst of all. Lewby Lewbert celebrating our disappearance and subsequent deaths. It was sickening. Of course, it was also all the more reason to keep going.

An owl's menacing _hoot-hoot_ had me jumping out of my skin. I looked into the trees to see a pair of large gold eyes shifting threateningly above us. I held tightly to Sam, keeping an eye on Carly, afraid of what was to come. I hated not knowing. All my life, one of my biggest fears was not knowing things. Perhaps that's why I tried so hard in school. The reason behind it was more complicated. My therapist (which mother insisted I see once a week), always suggested it was because of me not knowing my father. All I knew about him was that he was quite a daredevil. I didn't know his name, his face, or even what happened to him, and every time I asked, mother either changed the subject with a shrill voice and worried smile, or cry. I tried not to let it bother me, but I did find anger welling in my chest every once in awhile.

"What are you thinking about?" Carly asked softly, trudging next to me.

"Nothing really. Just... my dad. Home."

"Your dad? What happened to him?"

I shrugged, and Sam shifted on my shoulders. "I don't know."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, it does."

"I miss my dad, too, sometimes. You know... Spencer's awesome. I'd rather be in Seattle with Spencer than on a military base, but Mom and Dad... they're different."

"Yeah."

"You know, I just wish... sometimes, that they'll come home for Christmas or something. But they're really busy. And I wouldn't trade Spencer for the world."

"He really does let you be... you." I smiled at her. "My mom has a bit of an issue with that in particular."

Carly giggled, the first joyous sound I'd heard from her in quite some time. "She means well. She really loves you."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Carly eyed Sam on my shoulder, her smile fading. "Sam..."

I looked to the ground. "Yeah... I guess she doesn't have it so great. We don't really have a right to whine."

"Sam's mom loves her... in her own way," Carly said.

I was actually a bit bitter on the subject of Sam's mom. I had met the woman a couple of times, and she failed to impress most of the time. Sam seemed to be more of her friend than her daughter. And with the house always falling apart, and random men hanging around, I hardly found Sam's less-than-humble abode very homey. It was no wonder why she spent so much time at the Shay's. I found that after I met Sam's mother, I really wasn't as offended at her behavior from time to time. It was just how she lived.

And now I was more worrying about her actually living than how she did so.

Sam started to shiver against me, her teeth clattering against each other. She tapped me on the shoulder weakly.

"It... hurts... bad."

"Bad?"

"Like... worse... than... ever..." Sam bit into my shoulder and I gasped in shock and pain.

"Ow! Sam, what are you--"

Sam was sobbing against my shoulder. I whirled on Carly. "Carly, we have to stop. She can't keep going like this. There's a clearing up ahead."

We rushed through the trees and into the moonlight, and I shucked Sam off of my shoulders. She stumbled past me before doubling over and retching.

The crimson flash caught my eye immediately.

"Oh, God..." I whispered. "Sam!"

Carly cupped her hands around her mouth, dark eyes wide with sorrow. A muffled cry escaped her however. I waved my hands in a panic.

"Uh... um... it's okay, Carly. She probably just... ripped her stomach lining."

"_**That sounds BAD!**_"

Well, it wasn't good. "Carly, it's just... oh..." I felt tears welling in my eyes.

Sam slumped down to her knees, gripping her stomach. "Ohhh, God... it... hurts!"

I looked up at the moon, my lips twisting in a choked back sob. This was awful. My friends were suffering and there was nothing I could do. Carly cradled Sam in her thin arms, the moonlight accentuating the damage nature had done and the desperation in her eyes.

"Freddie!" Carly cried, her voice loud and high and strained. "What do we do?!"

I didn't have an answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The dam broke.

"I don't know _what _to do, Carly!" I began to sob violently, my face contorting to something very ugly. "I'm just a little boy!"

I sat down next to Carly on the grass, tears pouring down my cheeks. "I- I mean... I think I'm a man... but I'm _not!_ I'm just a kid!"

"I'm just a kid _tooooo_," Carly wailed.

"Me too! It _huuuurrrrts!"_ Sam joined in.

"I want my mom!" I cried.

And the three of us simultaneously breathed, then choked, then cried, loudly and childishly. We were tired of being grown ups. We were tired of being strong. We just sat there in the clearing and cried – even Sam, who was probably in more pain because of the effort being made. W e wallowed in each others sorrows, clutching to each other as drizzle began to make it's way down on us, just reminding us of how bad we had it.

"I'm hungry, I'm _dirty_, and I'm wet!" Carly whined.

"I'm siiick," Sam moaned.

"I'm cold, and I'm thirsty, and – and...." I sniffed. "I'm a _failure!_"

"No, no no no," Carly tried to coo before delving back into sorrow.

We were so caught up in it, we didn't notice the wind pick up right away. And when the bright light shone down upon us, I wailed.

"We're dying, Carly! They've come to take us _awaaaay!_"

"Ohh," Carly sobbed. "I never thought it would end like this!"

"Yeah," Sam added, "I thought... we'd at least... be in... the city... or something!"

"_**FREDDIE! FREDDIE, IT'S MOMMY!**__"_

"Wh-...what?"

Suddenly, everything made sense.

That wind was from a helicopter! I knew my mother would go to all lengths to find me. I just didn't think a helicopter would cross her mind.

But, as she hung at the door of the thing, megaphone in hand, I couldn't help but see her as a sort of super-hero, her dark red hair flying around her face. The spotlight that she had focusing on us was bright and almost heavenly, which could explain our immediate reaction to it. Carly's hair whipped around her, some of it hitting me in the face, as we both kept a protective hand on Sam. I look down at myself and I could see the blood spatter on it. It made me feel faint.

But we were going to be rescued!

"_**FREDDIE, DEAR! WE'RE COMING DOWN!**_"

The trees began to sway violently as the helicopter descended. I squinted my eyes shut, holding tightly to the girls. My head was hurting and the light wasn't helping. Then, suddenly, the blades had stalled and it was on the ground about ten feet from us. I saw my mom tumble out of the helicopter, and I could feel myself running for her without any knowledge of it. I rushed into her arms and buried into her chest, sobbing with joy. My mother. My _mother_. She felt so warm and comfortable and so, so _real_.

"Oh, Freddie!" She was crying. "I'm so glad you're safe."

She pulled away to look at me for a moment, her face laced with concern.

"Freddie?" Her voice started to waver in my ears, my vision blurring in and out.

Maybe it was because I didn't have to put up the front anymore. Maybe it was because the strain of the past few days just hit me when looking into my mother's worried eyes. But whatever it was, I found myself experiencing tunnel vision as the voices of Spencer and Carly roared from behind me. I wavered on my spot for a moment, trying to prevent what was only inevitable, and then the ground came up to meet me.

...

_Beep... beep... beep..._

I stirred, furrowing my eyebrows in annoyance. That constant beeping was annoying. I opened my eyes slowly, feeling like they'd been weighed down by concrete. A dull ache snaked its way through my skull as I took in the very bright room I was in.

"Freddie!" My mother exclaimed from my side, immediately appearing in my vision and brushing her hand gently across my forehead.

"M-mom?" My voice was very hoarse. "Wh-where?"

"Your at the hospital, honey. You were very dehydrated and suffering from exhaustion. The doctors wanted to keep you here for observation. How are you feeling?"

"Where are Sam and Carly?" I asked. I didn't really care how I was feeling at the moment. As the memories of the past few days came crashing back upon me, worry flooded over me.

My mother frowned, knowing I wouldn't answer her until she answered me.

"Carly was discharged a few hours ago."

"And Sam?" I pressed, sitting up in my bed and feeling my muscles protest.

She sighed. "Well, she had to have surgery."

"_Surgery?!_" My heart stopped. "Is she okay?"

My mom nodded. "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, her stomach lining ripped, and they had to repair it. They also had to give her an antidote for something poisonous she ate in the woods. It was in her system for quite some time, so the doctors are worried there might be long term effects, especially with her fever being high for so long."

I thought I was going to cry. That wasn't the news I wanted to hear. Not after I had worked so hard to help her.

"B-but, she's doing okay," My mother added, probably because of the look on my face. "She's sleeping right now."

"Can I see her? Can I see Carly?"

"You'll be discharged in the next couple of hours, now that they've had you on the IV for a few hours. My poor baby..."

"Can I see them then?"

"Just rest, Freddie. You'll see them soon."

I wasn't satisfied, but I did as I was told. I just wanted to see them.

...

Mother was signing the discharge forms as I sat in a stiff waiting room chair, my hands clasped together in front of me. It felt weird being in public the way I was dressed. Mom had been so worried, she seemed to have given me a little leeway when it came to my clothes. I wasn't wearing a belt, after all. It did feel good to be in clean clothes, and after the ordeal I had gone through, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be clean. In a bag at my feet were the clothes I wore in the woods. Sam's blood was still on them.

"Can I see them now?" I asked as she returned from the desk.

"Carly and Spencer have come to visit her, and there are only two people allowed in the room at a time."

A temper tantrum was tempting. I was getting frustrated with the constant _no's_. I stood up and started walking down the hallway, feeling irritated and stressed.

As I approached Sam's hospital room, I saw her mother sitting outside of it, dirty blonde hair hanging in her face. She was text messaging someone, her lips pursed. I nodded a hello to her, but she ignored me for the most part, barely acknowledging I was there. The door opened and Spencer and Carly came walking out. Carly had an ankle brace on, and was wearing flat-footed shoes. Her foot still looked fairly swollen. When she saw me, however, it didn't stop her from rushing into my arms.

"Freddie!"

I hugged her so tightly, I imagine it was hurting her a bit, but I don't think either of us minded. We were just happy to be okay and still together. I kissed her on top of her head, holding her there for just a little longer before letting go. She wiped a couple of tears away and sniffled, looking me in the eyes with a smile. She was clean and pristine and beautiful, just as always.

"How's Sam?" I asked, still keeping my hands on her shoulders. I didn't want to let her go. I didn't want to be separated from her for fear she would end up in just as bad a shape.

"She's okay," Carly said, though she didn't sound very sure. "A little out of it because of the meds."

"I figured," I said. "I'm gonna go in and see her. Wait for me?"

Carly nodded. "Yeah."

I reluctantly released her, smiled softly at Spencer, then headed into the room.

"Heeeey," Sam said from the bed.

She was lying with her torso lifted slightly by the bed. Her halo of curls surrounded her, flowing over the pillow and sheets. She turned her head to me. Her blue eyes were dark and hazy looking, not really focusing on anything. The pain medication was doing it's job.

"Hey," I said, lumbering over slowly to sit on the be. "How are you feeling?"

"Dude, Freddo? I'm feeling great."

I chuckled. The girl was out of her mind. At least she recognized me.

"That's good to hear." I absently brushed her bangs out of her face. "The last time I saw you, you were getting really bad."

"Did I scare you?"

I nodded. "Yep. You did."

"Don't be such a baby, Fredhead."

I held her hand loosely in mine, feeling the same way I did about Carly. I never wanted to let go of either of them. Her hand felt cool against my palm, a refreshing change to the burning skin I had felt against my neck.

"I know, I'm a baby. But I'm a baby that carried you quite a few miles, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah... you did." Sam squeezed my hand a little. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. You're one of my best friends. I'd do it again if I had to."

"I know you would." She looked down, showing a little guilt. "You're a good guy, Freddie."

"You're out of it, Sam. Calling me Freddie? Calling me a good guy? Those pain meds must be strong."

She shook her head. "No, no! I'm serious."

I smiled. "Well, thank you then."

It was awkward, but it felt warm and okay, so I let the silence carry for a little bit.

"They said you were in bad shape. That you had to have surgery."

"Yep. They sliced and diced me. But I'm okay."

I shuddered at the thought of slicing and dicing a person.

"I was worried."

She stared at the wall for a few minutes. "Why do you treat me like this, Fredward? I treat you bad all the time and you've just... helped me... and... it makes me feel all bad and stuff."

"Guilty?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe."

"Well, you don't treat me very nicely..."

Sam twisted her lips, the guilt even clearer.

"But..." I finished. "I think it works for us. Maybe I'm a masochist, I don't know. I just... wouldn't have a clue what to do if you treated me differently."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We've already talked about this anyway. I don't know why I'm letting it bother me."

"Well, this was... big. You... we could have died."

"Yeah, and it was cause I was being stupid and stubborn and I just wanted to prove you wrong. I ended up making it worse."

"It's okay, Sam."

"No, it's not!" She drew her knees up to her chest. "Carly was all smiles, but I could tell how scared she was a few minutes ago. And that's not even close to what it was before."

"Sam, you tried to feign being well so not to scare her. She knows how much you care about her, and you know how much she cares about you. Don't let this scare you into thinking otherwise."

"And what about you? You had to carry me all that way and, oh..." She furrowed her brows. "This guilt thing feels awful."

"Well, it's good to know you have a conscience, at least. But I told you, I'd do it again if I have to. Because I care about you."

"I..." Sam seemed to be having major difficulty speaking. "...Care about you too."

Warmth bloomed in my chest, and it was a strange new feeling, knowing that.

"So... where do we go from here?"Sam asked, looking to me for answers.

"Well..." I honestly had no clue. "I did tell you I'd take you bowling."

"Sounds good, Fredifer. I'll hold you to that. The pizza and the Peppi cola too."

I grinned. She remembered.

"And you better buy Carly's new boots too."

"I'm not one to break a promise."

The door opened and Spencer poked his head in. "Hey, Freddie. Your mom's waiting. We're gonna go get something to eat."

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute."

Spencer nodded and closed the door.

"Guess I better go."

"Guess so."

"I'll come back to visit tomorrow though."

"Okay."

I let go of her hand and stood up, turning to head out.

"Fredula, wait."

"Hm?"

She gestured for me to come closer.

"What?"

"Closer," she whispered.

I did as she said.

"What?" I laughed, now only a few centimeters from her face.

"Hey," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She kissed me on the side of my lips, much to my surprise, then shocked my system even more by delivering a prompt wet willy, swirling saliva in my ear.

I left the room, very confused, to the sound of her cackling.

I still think a lot of it was the pain meds.

...

Epilogue

Carly kicked her brand new heels up on the white plastic table, admiring them as I tied my shoes.

"Carly, you have to take those off to bowl," I said.

"Yeah, but these are really cute, Freddie. I don't want to."

"Well, you paid money for the game and the shoes. It's your loss."

Spencer gave a howl of victory as he knocked down a multitude of pins, doing a rather strange looking victory dance with Socko. Sam had already had two slices of pizza, but was still eating slowly after recovering from surgery.

"So, how long were you two grounded for?" Sam asked.

"Ohh... pretty much the entire time you were in the hospital and then some," I said. "I think my mom was so happy I was safe though that she went easy on me."

Carly finally took her boots off and started pulling on her bowling shoes. "It was pretty much the same with Spencer. He had me on a leash for two days before I finally convinced him to take it off. What about you, Sam?"

She shook her head. "My mom complained about the hospital bills. That's about it. Luckily, she got a date with my surgeon and got the bills reduced. Did Socko ever find his truck?"

"No," Carly replied. "He didn't even go look for it. He said it could become one with nature or something."

I raised my eyebrows. Socko was weird. "My mom took away my permit. I won't be driving anytime soon. In fact, I don't think she's going to let me practice or anything until I'm eighteen."

"That sucks," Sam said.

"Yeah." I grabbed my bowling ball and headed for the lanes. "Let's play."

There was something so perfect about us being together and having fun, especially after the ordeal we had suffered through. I had noticed a slight change in how we treated each other. We appreciated each other a little more, and, oddly enough, our bonds had grown stronger. We had survived, and we couldn't have done it without each other.

I got a gutterball, but as Sam and Carly laughed, I put my arms around them both and held them tight.

To be honest, I couldn't be happier.

But I don't see camping in my near future, that's for sure.


End file.
